Spiritual Essentials of Beat Life
The Beat poets used their writing as a way to connect to a greater visionary and spiritual aspect of life. Gary Snyder describes beat life as containing three fundamental things, “contemplation…morality…and wisdom” (Snyder 306). Snyder develops a connection between Buddhism and the three aspects of Beat life throughout his writing by utilizing imagery to portray complex, visual aspects of meditation and insight on the world around him. Snyder conveys the Beat “state of complete wisdom, love, and compassion” that he believed was expressed by Buddhism through imagery (Snyder 261).
Snyder’s poem, “Riprap,” is a prime example of the poet’s use of imagery to develop greater spiritual messages. Through sensory diction, Snyder develops themes of reflection and meditation. Snyder describes thoughts of reflection in the line “lay down these words/before your mind like rocks” to develop a grounding aspect of contemplation (Snyder 290). The restful association with the words “lay down” illustrates a peaceful manner to Snyder’s statement. By objectifying the concept of “words,” Snyder develops the idea that one’s thoughts are being set out before them. Describing these thoughts as similar to “rocks” laid down before one’s “mind,” Snyder creates a concrete image behind these thoughts that are being placed at the metaphorical forefront of one’s mind. By laying one’s thoughts out in front of themselves, the individual is able to closely examine their being and relation to the world. This concept of laying one’s thoughts out in front of them can be seen as representative of meditation, one of the practices deemed essential for self reflection in Buddhism.
Mediation, self reflection, and the greater associations of Buddhism that go along with both of those practices continue throughout the poem. Snyder illustrates the concept of “granite” as being made of tiny, interlocking parts such as “crystal and sediment linked hot” and how these components “all change, in thoughts” at the end of “Riprap” (Snyder 291). This description of granite, conjures an image of a beautiful stone, consisting of millions of tiny specks of “crystal and sediment” — an image that represents the inclusion of all of the parts that make up the whole. This granite can be seen as a metaphor for humanity, as each person is made up of unique life experiences that come together in formation of their persona. Humans are like granite, made up of different crystals and sediment, complex and unique when compared to others. This complexity and individuality can make people hard to understand, especially when this understanding is sought in regards to one’s own self. This is where the concept of inner reflection achieved through meditation is key. Snyder describes these intricate parts as changeable as a result of reflection when he states that these pieces “all change, in thoughts” (Snyder 291). Not only can these individual parts become noticeable upon closer examination, they can also be changed by this examination. Snyder develops the idea that people can change themselves through a better understanding of the components that define them.
Through meditation and inner reflection, one can come closer to wisdom, love, and compassion, along with the fundamentals of beat life: contemplation, morality, and once again, wisdom. These fundamentals go hand in hand, along with some overlap, with the described state of the universe in Buddhism, as according to Snyder. The imagery developed in “Riprap” mirrors meditation, which therefore further communicates the spirituality behind the beat movement. Snyder works to illustrate that the beat generation holds and is searching for a greater spiritual quality. However, this spiritual quality is not confined to just one religion. Snyder reflects on his own personal experiences through his depiction of Buddhist practices, however, these experiences do not define Buddhism as the sole spiritual aspect of the beat generation either. Snyder states that the ideals of the beat generation come from “various traditions including Quakers, Shinshu Buddhism, Sufism” (Snyder 306). “Riprap” never explicitly alludes to Buddhism, which can speak to the inclusive nature of the imagery developed throughout the poem. The common connotations that follow the imagery present strongly support the idea that Snyder is reflecting on practices common to Buddhism. However, the greater tone of self reflection and contemplation can be seen as applicable to anybody, regardless of faith or devotion. Snyder is using these portrayals of meditation and self reflection to develop the larger message of the significance behind both of those practices when attempting to follow beat life. Snyder is ultimately illustrating through his use of imagery that without self reflection, one can not encompass the morals that define the Beat generation.
Snyder, Gary. “Riprap.” The Portable Beat Reader. Edited by Ann Charters, Penguin, 1992, pp. 290–291.
Snyder, Gary. “Buddhism and The Coming Revolution.” “Takin’ It to the Streets”. Edited by Alexander Bloom and Wini Breines, Oxford UP, 2015, pp. 261–263.
